Lesson 9/13 Be Generous

Hey all, the Sunday school lesson for tomorrow comes from Acts 4:34 - 5:10. Its titled "Be Generous" Although today's lesson starts at verse 34, as you read your bible, start at verse 32. I believe 32 and 33 are key scriptures, the NIV says "³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all" - I can teach a lesson off of just this right here! These two scriptures are vital to our Christian faith! When you are in one heart and one mind, with the people around you and everyone is in tune with doing God's Will, looking out for each other, sharing and praying together in Jesus name, God's Spirit can't help but be in the midst! The lesson focuses on the Church during the time of the Apostles, but it also reflects today in our lives. As you begin verses 34-37, it teaches us a lesson in generosity. It brings out how people of that time looked out for each other. When someone was in need, the members of the group came together to meet that need - people such as Barnabas in verse 37,  sold land and houses and gave the proceeds to upbuild the kingdom. 
Now, verses 1-10 of Acts ch 5 gives us a lesson in deception - As you read these, carefully consider whats taking place. Ananias and his wife sold a piece of property. It would have been perfectly fine for them to keep a portion  of the funds from the sale and give the church a portion. But the issue arose when they weren't truthful with the Church leaders about the gift. When the Bible says in verse 4 NIV - "⁴ Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”" Its implied that due to pride they claimed to have offered the most, they said told they gave their all, but in reality they giving less/holding back - with the illusion of full donation or pure generosity; playing with God. As harsh as the lesson ends, it is to teach us a valuable lesson, and that's to watch out and not fall into the pitfalls of greed, pride and hypocrisy. We are to indulge in genuine sharing, generosity and  loving fellowship with each other. 

Keep Faith and To God be the Glory!

Thanks,

Colin W.